ReviewCureus2022
Safety and Efficacy of Injecting Mesenchymal Stem Cells Into a Human Knee Joint To Treat Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review.
Review in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis of the knee.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Hyaluronic Acid, Dry Needling and Combined Treatment in Patellar Osteoarthritis-Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue (MFAT) in Orthopedic Regenerative Medicine: A Narrative Review of the Biological Basis and Clinical Evidence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Safety evaluation of repeated intra-articular injections of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells iniScience · 2026Article
- Progress in the clinical use of bone marrow aspirate concentrate for knee osteoarthritis: an expert opinion.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Review
- Fat Harvesting for Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue Injections: A Pilot Study Comparing Safety in Procedures Performed by Orthopedic and Plastic Surgeons.Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2025Article
- [Fat Harvesting for Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue Injections: A Pilot Study Comparing Safety in Procedures Performed by Orthopedic and Plastic Surgeons].Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2025Article
- Clinical and dGEMRIC Evaluation of Microfragmented Adipose Tissue Versus Hyaluronic Acid in Inflammatory Phenotype of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Autologous Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue (MFAT) Injections May Be an Effective Treatment for Advanced Knee Osteoarthritis: A Longitudinal Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Bone bruise assessment in knees with ACL lesions: semi-quantitative scores outperform quantitative evaluation.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2025Article
- Role of micro‑fragmented adipose tissue in cartilage repair (Review).Biomedical reports · 2025Review
- Differentiation of stem cells into chondrocytes and their potential clinical application in cartilage regeneration.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2025Review
- Infiltration of micro-fragmented adipose tissue under local anesthesia for knee osteoarthritis treatment is a safe procedure: A case series.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2025Article
- Scanning electron microscopy analysis of synovial and adipose mesenchymal stem cells adhering to cartilage.Regenerative therapy · 2024Article
- Advanced therapy with mesenchymal stromal cells for knee osteoarthritis: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of orthopaedic translation · 2024Review
- Efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cell injections for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences · 2024Review
- Stem cells for the treatment of early to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2023Review
- Mechanisms of analgesic effect of mesenchymal stem cells in osteoarthritis pain.World journal of stem cells · 2023Review
- Intraarticular Injections of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Review of Their Current Molecular Mechanisms of Action and Their Efficacy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Assessment of the effectiveness and satisfaction of platelet-rich plasma compared with hyaluronic acid in knee osteoarthritis at minimum 7-year follow-up: AFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Intraarticular stem cell therapy has become increasingly used to treat knee osteoarthritis (KOA) with minimal high-quality evidence to support its use. This study aims to see how well intra-articular injections of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) worked and how safe they were for individuals with KOA. A total of 10 studies were extracted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PMC from 2017 to 2021 in the English language. An assessment of the risk of bias was applied via the Cochrane Collaborative Bias Risk Tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Quality. Changes in pain and functional outcomes in patients with KOA were measured by a Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) scores, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores at baseline, and follow-up evaluation criteria. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was evaluated using the whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS) and cartilage volume changes. A total of six randomized controlled trials (RCTs), three prospective retrospective clinical trials, and one retrospective clinical trial included 723 patients. They were diagnosed with unilateral or bilateral KOA with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade 1-4 KOA and followed up for six, 12, and 24 months. The experimental groups received multipotent MSCs, mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs), adipose tissue progenitor stem cells (AD-MPCs), adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs), bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), bone marrow aspiration (BMA), bone marrow aspiration concentration (BMAC), or micro fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) while the controlled groups received normal saline (NS), hyaluronic acid (HA), placebo, or went through conservative management. In conclusion, significant improvements were noticed in the MSCs groups via different outcome measuring tools like KOOS, VAS, WOMAC, and MRI. Furthermore, no significant adverse events (AEs) have been observed. Therefore, intra-articular injections of MSCs are effective and safe in relieving pain and improving motor function in individuals with KOA in the short term, contrary to earlier research findings.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.